Why Workplace Life Insurance Is Not Enough

Why Workplace Life Insurance Is Not Enough

When your workplace offers good benefits, you are able to relax a bit. You have health insurance, sick days and, sometimes, life insurance. These policies usually cost you little to nothing, so you should certainly enroll in them, but you should not count on this coverage to meet all your life insurance needs. You need to take out a policy that is separate from your job in order to fully protect your family.

Job's End

Your workplace life insurance will be a term policy, so once your employment ends, the coverage will too, and you won’t receive any monetary value from it. While workplace coverage doesn’t depend on your physical condition, outside life insurance policies will. Your health can change quickly, so you should not wait to get an outside policy. Once you have health issues, companies will either charge you a higher premium or reject you altogether. Get a separate policy while you are reasonably young and healthy.

Coverage Limit

Workplace life insurance is a nice benefit, but you should consider it a supplement to your “real” coverage. Companies typically offer coverage that pays out one to three times your annual salary. Experts recommend that your insurance covers at least 10 times your salary. After all, that money is meant to help your family maintain their lifestyle and pay off possible debts. A year or two of salary isn’t nearly enough.

More Choice

Insurance experts have long debated the advantages of whole life insurance versus term insurance. Term policies pay out only when you die. Whole life policies have a monetary value that you can cash out after a certain number of years. You can also withdraw some of the cash when you need it and pay the policy back if you wish. Having a term policy through work and a whole life policy individually makes sense for some people.

If you have a workplace life insurance option, you should certainly take it. Do not rely on it as your primary policy, however. You will need more coverage, and the longer you wait to get it, the more difficult and expensive that process becomes. Consult with your insurance specialist and find a policy that fits your family’s needs.

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